The former Washington Redskins didn’t change their name from that offensive moniker until there was massive pressure from advertisers and minority shareholders. Owner Daniel Snyder had said for years that he would never change the name, and he held fast on that for 20 years until money talked.
The Kansas City Chiefs, who have had that name since 1963 when they moved from Dallas and changed their name from the Texans, apparently do not intend to follow suit. In a statement released Thursday, the team cited multi-year discussions with Native American advocates, and pointed out several new procedures to minimize any offense:
- While we have discouraged fans from wearing headdresses for several years, effective immediately, fans will be prohibited from wearing headdresses into the stadium.
- Face painting is still allowed for all fans, but any face paint that is styled in a way that references or appropriates American Indian cultures and traditions will be prohibited.
- Fans will be asked to remove any American Indian-themed face paint prior to passing security screening outside the stadium.
- We are engaged in a thorough review process of the Arrowhead Chop and plan to have additional discussions in the future.
- We are exploring all options for a modified engagement moment from the Drum Deck that maintains a unifying effect between our fans and our players but better represents the spiritual significance of the drum in American Indian cultures.
- This includes discussions around how to shift the focus of the drum to something that symbolizes the heartbeat of the stadium.
- As allowed by NFL guidelines and the City of Kansas City Health Department for the coronavirus-impacted 2020 season, we will continue with many of the traditions that we have introduced over the past six years, including the Blessing of the Four Directions, the Blessing of the Drum, as well as inviting members of tribes with a historic connection to our region to participate in our American Indian Heritage Month Game.
- Finally, we are exploring the creation of a more formalized education program with input from both our local and national partners.
The Chiefs have not received anywhere near the pressure the Redskins did to change their name, which is the primary reason the franchise feels comfortable staying put. But the Arrowhead Chop, which the team’s fans have enjoyed for decades, has been a problem for some groups, and it was something I noticed everywhere as I walked around the outside of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium before Super Bowl LIV.
QUEUE THE CHOP đź—Ł#SBLIV | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/HQ0nn20h9c
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 1, 2020
“Even if they’re die-hard fans of our home football team, they are fans in spite of the chanting, the tomahawk chop, the face-paint, the chicken-feather headdresses, not because of it,” Gaylene Crouser, executive director of the Kansas City Indian Center, told the Associated Press in January.
“It’s the portrayal, imagery of the kind of warrior savage, the uncivilized kind of perception and stereotype that has unfairly lingered around Indian country for a really long time,” Kevin Allis, the CEO of the National Congress of American Indians, told Reuters.
Like it or not, until and unless the Chiefs experience financial pressure to change their name, the minimization to any possible offense will be limited in scope.